Berlin: German comedian Sebastian Hotz, known by his stage name 'El Hotzo,' was acquitted by a Berlin court in a case related to his social media posts about last year's assassination attempt on US President Donald Trump. Judge Andrea Wilms stated that Hotz's post on X did not qualify for the charge of disturbing the peace, describing the comments as 'non-punishable satire.'
According to Ghana News Agency, Hotz made a comparison between the shots fired at Trump during an election campaign event in Pennsylvania and 'the last bus,' noting that 'unfortunately' both had been 'just missed.' In another post, he commented: 'I think it's absolutely fantastic when fascists die.' Despite the gunfire, Trump was largely unharmed, suffering only a minor injury to his upper right ear, although one rally attendee was killed and two others were seriously injured. The assailant was subsequently killed by security forces.
Hotz removed the posts following widespread criticism on social media. As a result, the regional public broadcaster RBB ended its collaboration with him on a youth program. In court, the prosecutor argued for a 'mild fine' of £6,000 ($7,040), asserting the posts should be treated as hate crime due to their potential to disturb the peace, especially given Hotz's large following of 740,000 on X.
Hotz defended his actions by emphasizing his role as a satirist, suggesting that his comments should be taken as jokes rather than serious statements. He argued that satirists express opinions humorously and should be understood in that context.
